The Fox Prince
by Michi-tan
Summary: Hinata is a princess who recently found out that she is bethrothed. Wanting to get away from it all, she runs. What happens when she find a fox that claims that he is a prince? R&R please.
1. Princess Hinata

**Hola peoples! This is the story that GravityTheWIZARD won! This is gonna be super tough, considering that he wanted Hinata and Naruto to become kitsunes. I would've thought Hinata would become a raven… Anywho, enjoy! And if you want to read about the horrible and gruesome deaths of Sasuke-teme and Sakura-san, watch out for my next fic! Now, on with the fic! Oh, and I don't own Naruto or the Frog Prince(ss), though in this case, it should be called the Fox Prince(ss) (still begins with F!).**

It was a beautiful day in Konoha when Hinata woke up. She yawned and got out of the humongous bed that sat in the middle of the room. It was the only thing in the room besides the writing desk in the corner. Her maid brought her clothes and did her makeup with one pull of the velvet rope by the door.

She walked over to the balcony doors and flung them open. The noise of the road below flooded into the room and Hinata smiled. This was her kingdom; and she loved every square foot of it. The hustle and bustle of the people made her glow with pride. Those were her people; and she was their princess.

"Hinata-hime, Hinata-hime!" the princess heard a voice call. It was oh-so-familiar and it made her sigh. The door burst open, revealing a disheveled pink-haired girl. It was her servant, Sakura. She took care of Hinata and was the only person allowed into her room, besides her father and sister(don't know why I felt the need to say this.).

"Hinata-hime," Sakura stated, yet again, "Your father demands your presence in the great hall! He says it's urgent!" She held out a lavender dress. It was frilly and had a small hoop under the skirt; it was, by far, the girliest dress she had ever seen. On top of the dress were gray heels and the most peculiar hair clip she had ever seen; and she knew whom it was.

The clip had white metal, intricately knotted and weaved. Several garnet gems topped each knot, forming a blood-red flower on a white stem. The actual clip part was a shade darker than the white metal. It was a one of a kind, the only one in existence.

And it was her mother's. She was dead and gone by the time Hinata was four years old. Hinata took a step back, afraid to touch the red petals.

"S-sakura, why is t-that clip h-here?" She asked, her voice trembling as much as her body.

"Your father wanted you to wear it. He said it was a gift." Sakura said all of this quietly, as if reminiscing about something. Hinata knew why. She shared her mother with three people before she died. Herself, her sister Hanabi, and Sakura. She was cared for and given a job by Kisa. Sakura wouldn't be with the princess if it weren't for the queen.

"Take i-it away. Take it a-away now." She almost screamed the words.

"Hinata-hime, if you don't wear it, there's no telling what he'll do." Hinata sighed at the truth of the words. She held out her hand and caressed the cold metal. Once her dress was on, her shoes were on her feet, and her hair had the clip in it, they were out the door.

The click-clacking of her shoes bounced off the walls. It was irritating and did nothing for Hinata's nerves. 'The great hall is around the corner, calm down.' She thought to herself. And indeed it was around the corner. The gold columns shimmered in the sunlight. The marble on the floor radiated the heat from the sun.

"Hinata!" she heard a manly voice scream. Hinata jumped and hurried to the antechamber or the hall. Her father, Hiashi(not Hizashi, that's Neji's dad or something), sat on a chair in the middle of the room. Servants scurried around him, carrying platters of food, drink, and other necssities.

"Y-yes, father." Hinata had to force this out. Her fear made everything seem… scarier.

"Hinata! Someone has requested your hand in marriage. Prince Kiba of the Inuzuka's." He said all of this very happily.

She trembled inside. Kiba? They were friends, for Kami's sake! Getting married would absolutely ruin their friendship. She didn't even love him.

"B-but, I don't love him." She said, voicing her thoughts.

"It doesn't matter! You will marry him!" He boomed.(Remind you of a certain blond whom likes C-4 clay? Because of the boom…)

Tears appeared at the corner of her eyes. She only faintly heard her father saying something about the marriage date(July 13th, a month from then) over the roaring in her ears. Hinata ran from the room, covering her face so nobody would see her cry(behind those Hyuuga eyes. Lol, like the Kelly Clarkson song.)

She cried and cried until the stars were winking into existence.. She had to get away. Hinata had to run away from everything.

She gathered her bed sheets and tied them together. Hinata tightened a loop on the balcony post and looked back into her room. She grabbed a sheet of paper and started a letter.

_Dear Sakura,_

_I have to leave. I cannot stand for this marriage ordeal. Please, if you care for me, don't look for me. My life will be ruined if I marry Kiba. I have to get away from all this madness. As soon as you read this, pack up your things and run. Staying there waiting for me will only get you hurt. Burn this._

_Hinata_

It was a short letter, but she hoped it would be effective. With one last glance at the room she had been in all her life, she turned and slid down her makeshift rope.

After successfully dodging the guards, Hinata decided heading for the woods would be best. She trudged through the undergrowth of the forest and eventually found a clearing to rest in. Her stomach growled and her eyes were heavy from lack of sleep(duh).

Hinata tore off the hoops of her dress and lay down on the coarse grass. Just as she was slipping into the abyss of unconsciousness, the runaway felt something soft rub up against her legs.

She tried to keep quiet, but when a fox(here he comes!) entered her vision, she screamed.

**Okiez, if you liked it, or hated it, click the review button and REVIEW!!!! That's why it's there!! It would make me oh-so-happy if you did. And Gravity, Hinata will turn into a Kitsune next chappie. I don't know why I chose Kiba, but whatever. This fic goes out to everyone(you too, Jack, I luvs ya!). And Tsankyou to GravityTheWIZARD, he won this fic, so thank him for winning(he's a winner!) Remember to R&R this and my other stories. And yes, this will end up sounding like the Frog Princess. You know, that book, where she turns into a frog instead of the prince changing into a human… Keep it truckin!**


	2. Prince Naruto

**Meep to you all! I haven't updated quickly mostly because I have stuff to do! Yes, I know it's a lazy excuse, but Chance Falls has to be updated too! And my book has got one sentence =.= Sooo, don't bug me about updating if you are/were! I will get mad and-and… I don't know! Anyways… on with(queue Fox Prince theme music) FOX PRINCE!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't really even own the plot T^T I own the land of Sun, though! :D **

_Last time_

_She tried to keep quiet, but when a fox entered her vision, she screamed._

Back to the present(sorta)

Hinata screamed for three seconds before the fox spoke. And that really freaked her out.

"Oi, stop the screaming! It's hurting my ears!" The orangish yellow fox whined, reaching a paw up to his ears. Hinata gaped at the freak of nature(cuz, foxy's can't talk.). It's was talking!

"A-ano, but who are you?" She asked, fear seeping into her voice.(Yeah, I'm not gonna have her stutter much.) Hinata tugged on a strand of hair while she waited for an answer.

"I'm Prince Naruto Uzumaki, son of Minato Namikaze, of the Land of Fire!" He said, thrusting his fist into the air.(Hinata lives in the land of Sun, My own Land-thingy, I think =.=) She stared at Naruto for a minute, before clutching her knee's to her chest and rocking back and forth, chanting, "I'm insane, I'm insane!"

"No, really, I am!" the fox said, "The Kyuubi turned me into this! I didn't even do anything! Well, I did kinda teepee his witch-hut-thingy." Hinata had stopped her chanting to listen to him. An idea suddenly slapped her brain.

"So, do I have to kiss you? Like in the Frog Prince?" she asked teasingly. Naruto thought for a moment. He tapped his chin thoughtfully and finally spoke.

"I guess we could try that. Pucker up!" He said, making smoochy noises with his lips. She scratched his head before leaning in closer. Hinata put a finger on his lips.

"Promise me this first." She said, and continued when he nodded, "Will you come back with me to my kingdom?"

His eyes widened.

"Who _are_ you?" He asked, finally.

"I am Princess Hinata Hyuuga, daughter of Hiashi Hyuuga, of the Land of Sun." She stated regally. Naruto gaped and finally promised. She leaned in once more.

And they kissed.

They kissed for only a second before there was a blinding white light. Some kind of explosion happened and forced the two apart. Hinata was conscious to hear Naruto scream her name, but then everything went black.

Hinata groaned as everything suddenly got brighter. Her eyes fluttered open and she raised a paw to rub her eyes.

"OH MY KAMI!!!" She screamed.(Lotsa screaming ain't there?) Naruto head instantly popped up from behind a log and he rushed over to her.

"Hinata-hime, what is it?!"

"I have a paw…" she whimpered. He looked her over and frowned.

"Yeah, but you also have a _foxy_ body!" He immedietly started giggling and rolling in the grass. Hinata huffed and walked to the small pond about 50 feet away.

It was a lot longer than if she was human. She was exhausted and shuffled over to the water. She gasped when she saw her reflection.

She was midnight blue with white eyes, and her tail was longer than most fox tails. Her paws were delicate and her body was slender. Hinata looked like the legend fox her mother used to tell her about.

"What could have caused this?" she wondered aloud. While she had been admiring herself, Naruto had taken the time to trot over to her.

"Well, I don't know, but there's some sorta mist coming from your hair clip."

She ran towards the precious gift and picked it up with her teeth. A yelp came from her lips and the metal was instantly dropped.

'Why was it so hot?' The Hyuuga nudged it towards the water with her nose and pushed the clip in. There was a hissing noise and steam arose from the surface of the pond.

"What am I supposed to do now?" she asked no one. The other fox raised his paw sheepishly.

"We could go to Neko-san." He says carefully.

**I'm sorry I made it so short! I didn't have the time to make it long, what with all the school coming up soon! Plus my book -.- Anyways, here are some links to check out! You MUST check the top link. It's a song. In German, but it's so beautiful. And the music vid is cool too!**

**.com/watch?v=hXB8FP1TDtI&feature=related**

**.com/watch?v=F03NFwGn9L0&feature=channel**

**.com/watch?v=MtN1YnoL46Q**

**.com/watch?v=astISOttCQ0**** Make sure to listen to other languages too!**

**.com/watch?v=YA5P69m3WS0&feature=related**

**.com/watch?v=eDU0CTDMk2g**

**And make sure to watch to Tokio Hotel show! It's hilarious!**


	3. The Great Neko

**Hola. To all my readers who were interested in the picture of Michiru, he is now my avatar o^.^o To the people who read Chance Falls, I sowwy there was a super duper cool link =.= I'll put one in here, kay?Now, for the next chappie of The Fox Prince! Please enjoy!**

_Last time. _

"_What am I supposed to do now?" she asked no one. The other fox raised his paw sheepishly._

"_We could go see Neko-san." He says carefully._

Back to the present =.=

"Neko-san?" Hinata asks, a million questions threatening to pour out of her mouth. Naruto nodded and continued.

"Neko-san knows _everything_ about animal transformations. And animals." He said, sparing her coat of blue fur a glance. The princess noticed this and huffed.

"I'm not that weird-looking, am I?" she asked, her tone daring him to say yes. The yellow fox quickly shook his head and a satisfied grin lit the vixen's face.

"Let's go see Neko-san then." Naruto said, already running.

**Idea stumped =.= I'm thinking about the format for Chance Falls and stuff =.= So, on with the show =.=**

"So, this is where she lives?" Hinata asked. They had finally arrived in front of a run-down shack, and the princess, being a princess, wasn't very impressed.

"Yup! Trust me, it's a lot better on the inside." The prince said. He motioned for her to stop(she was about to walk inside.) "Neko-chan!"

The earth rumbled a little before a door shot up. Startled, the vixen yelped and hid behind her traveling partner.

"Who dares disturb the Great Neko's sleeping slumber?"(Lame, I know.) A mysterious voice called.

"It is I, Prince Naruto!" The fox said, stifling a giggle.

"Oh, Naruto-kun?" A beautiful woman walked out of the door. Her flowing dress swished(couldn't figure out what to put)over the ground. Cat ears twitched wildly on top of her head.

"Naruto! She has ears!" The princess whispered urgently.

"Yes, I have ears!" the lady said, hand on her hips. "And who are you?"

"I might ask you the same thing!" Hinata shouted.

"Hime, that's Neko-chan!" Naruto said.

"That's right! I am The Great Neko!" she yelled, once again.

'She sure is modest.' Hinata thought.

**I'm sorry this wasn't very long =.= I am so idea stumped it's not even funny. You are allowed to scorn me. This thing was only a page long! I sowwy, I just wanted to get it updated… Anways, link time!**

**.com/watch?v=buZaEXblK2M&feature=channel**


	4. Forest of Birds

**Sowwy about dat last chappie. I just wasn't feeling it that day. Anways, a disclaimer and on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be here right now.**

"Naru-kun, is this your girlfriend?" Neko asked, giggling like a schoolgirl. Naruto looked bashful for a minute before shaking his head. Hinata had been staring at the woman's cat ears until she finally coughed, interrupting the silence.

"If you don't mind, Neko-san, I need to know how I can turn back into…me, I guess." The vixen said, not trying to hold back her impatience.

"What about Naru-kun? He's been like this for a while-wait. Your human?" she asked.

"Yes, I am. I was trying to help Naruto-kun, when I was turned into this!" the princess said, gesturing to her body with her head. All the while, Neko was tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Well…" Naruto said, trying to coax an answer out of the witch. Said woman walked inside the door, waving to the two animals. They followed her inside and Hinata gasped at what she saw.

The ceiling held the everlasting expanse of the night sky, stars glittering like precious gems. Marble pillars reflected a candelabra's flickering light and many different birds flew from one tree to another(Yes, there are tree in that wonderful room). A long table, carved from some ancient willow, stood in the middle of the room, chairs waiting to be sat in.

"Welcome, to the Forest of Hentai." Neko said, sweeping her arm in a grand gesture. Immediately, the sky turned light, and the sun could be seen. Hinata smiled, feeling the rays on her fur.

"It's wonderful!" she exclaimed. The older woman smiled, her ears perking in the girl's direction.

"I'll just be a minute, alright? I have to go consult my handy-dandy library." Neko giggled before walked out. Secretly, she was watching the two fox.

"So…" Naruto said, his eyes darting everywhere.

"So what?" Hinata tilted her head, looking so kawaii, the Naruto almost laughed.

"You look so kawaii like that, hime." He said, voicing his thoughts. She looked down at her feet, blushing.(Nobody can see it though.)

"Alas, I can do nothing about your situation, you cute little lovebirds!" A voice startled the two, and when they looked behind them, they didn't see Neko, but someone else. A little boy, smiling at two birds in front of him, looked haughtily at fox when he noticed them.

"Neko-chan! Why are there fox in here? Only birds are allowed, you know that!" The young boy shouted, but as he stood there, he was changing. The small boy shape he had while talking to the lovebirds was steadily changing into that of an old man.

"Oh my Kami…" Hinata gasped. She had never heard of such a being who changed at will!

"Ah, but I can't change at will, m'dear." Instead of a voice full of youth, an age-weathered sigh came from the mystery persons mouth.

"Rikiru, stop pestering them!" Another mysterious person had snuck up on them again. A old women with cat ears came around a corner that Neko had gone to and hobbled toward the old man, now a teenager.

"Neko-chan! Did you find anything?" The orange fox(correct me if I said yellow before this XD)asked excitedly.

"Alas, I did not," she said regretfully, "But I know someone else that can help you!"

**I felt like doing something special. First of all, Rikiru is just another one of my wacky OC's who may or may not have some kind of place in the sequel to Chance Falls. Second, I wanna say something.**

"**BLEEPINFORGISMORF!"**

**And that, is how you curse in Smorf(Not Smurf)language. And if anyone was wondering, Chance Falls will be updated by next week(hopefully). **

**Remember, eat a pie, capture a Smorf, and annoy your parents! is watching O.o**


	5. Mouse Death?

**Hola readers! Fifth chappie of my beloved Fox Prince =^o^= Ish makes me so happy! I didn't think I'd get so many reviews :O Gasp! And, for the people who didn't review and thought, "Hentai!?", it means transformation in Japanese. And the reason I haven't really made the chapters long, is because 1. I don't have time, and 2. I like 'em better that way.=^o^=Anyways, a quick disclaimer, and on with the show ^^**

**Neko: =^3^= Michi doesn't own Naruto! If she did, I'd be there! Woot!**

***sweatdrop***

_Last time_

"_Neko-chan, did you find anything?" the orange fox asked excitedly._

"_Alas, I did not," she said regretfully, "But I know someone else who can help you!"_

Back to the present

"Oh really?" Hinata asked, the sun reflecting off her white eyes. Neko was slowly, but surely, changing back into her former self, the wrinkles disappearing and her ears recovering their healthy look.

"Oh, definitely so, but the journey will be fraught with danger," Neko said seriously, "I've always wanted to say that =^3^="

Naruto puffed out his furry chest and put on a brave face, but, as Hinata noticed, it didn't reach his eyes.

"Danger? I laugh in the face of danger! Muahahahaha!" he said, his laugh shaky. The vixen giggled and her companion shot her a glare.

"What am I over here? Chop liver?" Rikiru shouted. He stood some feet away, and was pouting(he's mad at me D:)

"Yes, you are." Neko said coolly, "Now, the person you must meet is Yugito Nii and her kitty!"

Hinata's eyes widened. Everybody had heard of Yugito Nii and her fearsome demon, the two-tailed monster cat.(KITTY!) It was mostly the cat who had the rep though, considering it was made of blue flame and could control fire (=.= Pyrokinesis)

"Gomen, but there has to be another way!" she said, sending a pleading look up at Neko, who had a thoughtful look on.

"Nope," she chirped, "I would come with, cause I haven't seen Yu-chan in forever, but there is too much to be done here!"

"Uh, Neko-chan? Could we have some directions already?" Naruto said, noticing the death glares they were receiving from Riki( quick thing here. I made up the Rikiru thing. It most likely won't be in any Japanese name book EVER(maybe) ) and several dark-looking birds.

"Sure! Just follow the distant screams of terror!" And sure enough, faint screams could be heard. Both fox(foxes? Fox-i?i-FOX!) jumped and, after saying goodbye to Neko (Riki: WHAT ABOUT ME?!), ran off out the door and into the forest of…whatever.

"Ano, Naruto-kun, the screams seem to be getting farther away. Maybe we should turn around…" Hinata mumbled, slowing to a walk.

"Pssh, please. I know where I'm going!" he said, giving her an indignant look. The girl sighed and ran to catch up with her companion.

_Sunset :D_

"Let's rest here for the night." Naruto said wearily. Hinata bobbed her head and collapsed. They had been travelling all day and, in turn, were extremely tired. Something growled in the little clearing they were in.

"Gomen," the bluenette murmured while the prince laughed, "I haven't eaten all day."

"S'alright. But..." Naruto used the last of his strength to leap into the bushes. He came out carrying a plump mouse, not at all like the cute little mice in the pet store(=^3^= Yesh, I think mice are cute!).

"Here. They actually taste pretty good, you know." He said, noticing the look of disgust on her face. Hinata hesitantly nibbled on the half Naruto gave her. He gave her an expectant look.

"It's not zenzai, I can tell you that." She said, before finishing her mouse. (Instead of Mousse :D)

"Hinata-hime, before you pass out, can I ask you something?" Naruto asked carefully.

"Uh, sure Naruto-kun," she said.

"Why did you want me to come back with you?"

**Ooh, CLIFFY! Sucks for you, but rocks for me ^^ Anyways, if you read Chance Falls( or if you don't *shrugs*), I'm gonna borrow that idea from Koichi and make the title something like "Light and Dark, Sister and Brother" Yay! Tell me if that sounds good! And I finished this in a day =.= Actually, an hour =^o^= Lol, POKE. …POKE POKE. **

**Riki: Dammit, stop!**

…**POKE.**


	6. Yugito Nii and Her Flaming Kitty

**Thank you so much for those wonderful reviews last chappie! Things are getting really exciting now(I hope =_=') And for my Chance Falls readers, the sequel is up! Yay! But I'm not very proud of the first chapter =_= Well, Kani-chan(this is my logical/annoyed side), disclaimer.**

**Kani: Why do we need disclaimers? Seriously, disclaimers are for people NOT on ! *grumbles***

**See? Extremely logical/knowledgable/annoyed. =^o^=**

_Last time_

"_Hinata-hime, before you pass out, can I ask you something?" Naruto asked carefully._

"_Uh, sure Naruto-kun," Hinata said._

"_Why did you want me to come back with you?"_

Back to the present.

Hinata stared at her travelling companion, at loss for words. 'Should I tell him?' she thought. She didn't want him to get mad and leave her in the middle of the forest. The vixen chewed on her lip as she mulled over her decisions.

"Hime…" Naruto whispered over to her. Hinata sighed and prepared to speak, but just then, something furry, and huge burst into the clearing. A menacing growl emanated from the shape. Blue flames leapt and danced onto the grass, fizzling out before they could do any damage.

"Nibi, down," a commanding voice said. The monster sat down and started purring. All flames on its body instantly went out as if water had been poured on then. A cat, no larger than fox Hinata, stood in its place. Two tails were behind the cat, flicking at invisible objects.

Hinata and Naruto gaped at the woman who stepped inside their resting place. Blond hair, braided, framed a perfectly angled face, not unlike a cat's. Piercing black eyes took in the two fox who sat cowering a few feet away. She wore a short, black, summer kimono with black shorts. All together, she was a woman men would die for. Literally.

"Are you Yugito Nii?" Hinata stuttered(don't feel like typing stuttering =_=") . The cat had settled on the woman's shoulders and continued its purring.

"I am," she said, "Who might you be? It's not every day I see a talking fox."

"I am Princess Hinata Hyuuga, first child and daughter of Hiashi Hyuuga, of the Land of Sun(I found out, that if you're female, you say 'daughter of *enter mom's name*. But I don't care :D)." Hinata said. Yugito nodded and gestured to Naruto. He was trembling and muttering prayers while his companion and the beautiful woman were talking.

"I'm Prince Naruto Uzumaki, first and only son of Minato Namikaze, of the Land of Fire," he said, with not so much gusto as when he said that the first time. Hinata giggled. (Sorry about there not being danger and peril! I think I got something that will make it a lot better! Danger and Peril to be had later on!)

"So you've been enchanted?" Yugito asked, tilting her head as a cat would. Nibi did the same thing. The vixen giggled again.

"Yes, we have," the bluenette said, "Neko-san told us you'd be able to help!"

Yugito gave her a curious look. It was of sadness and pity. She shook her head and sighed.

"I fear you've been tricked. Neko likes to do that at times, especially when Riki-kun is angry," she said regretfully, "Tricking people makes him and her happy."

The fox(es) gaped once again. 'Now what?" ran through both of their minds. Neko had lied to both of them. Yugito had an amused face on.

"But maybe I can help." She said. Hinata and Naruto stopped wallowing and listened to her.

"Beyond these woods lay an entire world," she started. The fox gave her an expectant look. Yugito sighed and continued.

"You need to visit each of the major villages," she said, and her tone grew darker, "And collect their most precious items, whether it be a measly scroll, or human."

"What? How?" Naruto asked. Hinata's jaw had dropped. Why did they need these items?

"Bring them to Itachi, mage of the Leaf. He'll tell you what to do then." Yugito whispered, fading from view. A miasma of fog entered the clearing and the fox suddenly felt extremely sleepy. They collapsed in a heap of furry limbs and were snoring a few seconds later.

"Good luck, if you can remember our conversation, noble foxes," the woman said before disappearing.

**An extremely mysterious chapter…I think XDD. I hope you liked it! And just to remind you, the sequel Chance Falls is up! UP I TELL YOU! 3 Some things to remember!**

**Feed Kisame shark fin soup!**

**Tell Shino Lee's eyebrows are caterpillars!**

**Tell Sasuke that Oro raped him!**

**Thanks for reading! Peace out! *Next chapter will be up by next Saturday!***

**(EDITED!!!)**


	7. Dream of the Lost

**Phew! It's been a hard week! School, the gym…schooool. Ya, I don't like school =_= Plus, I'm kinda sad that nobody's reviewed my sequel to Chance Falls D: If you would be so kind, could you maybe…I don't know, review it or something? Lol, Neko-chan, disclaimer(why, for the love of everything sweet and sour, do we need these?)**

**Neko: OMFG, SHE'S AFTER MEEEEEEEE!**

**GO YUGITO! 3 On with the show!**

_Last time_

"_Good luck,if you can remember our conversation, noble foxes," the woman said before disappearing._

Woot! The present!

Hinata groaned as she woke up. She had a massive headache and everything seemed a bit fuzzy through her eyes. Something poked at her memory bank(or w/e it's called :P), but she didn't know what she was supposed to be remembering. 'Oh no! Where's Naruto!?'

"Naruto!" she shouted, hoping she could hear him. He wasn't in the clearing on the only thing that had shown Naruto had been there, was a clump of blond fur. Her voice echoed through the trees. No answer.

Hinata ran through the trees. Branches slapped at her face and roots tripped her. She called repeatedly for her companion, but, still, nothing.

'Wait a second,' she thought as she burst into another clearing. As the ones before, a pile of fur lay there. Suspicious, she took an extremely good look at the fur. She jumped a bit when it moved. Was she in some illusion?

_Hime…_

It was more of a whisper on the wind, but that whisper said something. And it came from the fur.

"Naruto? Is that you?" Hinata asked. The trees started to go a little wavy and the ground became transparent. She gasped when something started pulling at her navel(if, that is, fox have navels O.o). A horrible, airy sucking noise sounded in her ears, and everything disappeared.

_Hime…_

There it was again. The voice. But this time, it sounded panicked. And louder. Hinata realized that she could move and started doggy-paddling into the darkness. There didn't seem to be anything there, and time seemed irrevelant. The vixen took her sweet time travelling to wherever she was supposed to go.

The void of blackness surrounding her seemed…nice. Hinata had always been afraid of the dark, ever since she had almost been kidnapped. But this darkness was different. It was inviting.

A voice, different from the last one, called out from her left.

_Hinata! Hinata, help me!_

It was her mother's voice. Happiness welled up inside the princess, but was immediately overshadowed by guilt, sadness, and confusion. Guilt, because Hinata still thought it was her fault her mother had died. Sadness, because she had to choose between her mother and Naruto.

Confusion, because she didn't know who to go to.

Normally, Hinata would not be in this kind of situation. Normally, Hinata wouldn't be a fox. A single tear trickled down her furry cheek. Moments later, she was soundlessy sobbing.

"Hinata!"

The girl jerked her head up. A blond fox stood a few feet away from her, poking something with his paw. He had a worried expression on his face and his ears were folded back.

"Daughter…"

Hinata turned around to see a woman with white eyes and ebony hair. A faint white light emanated from her body.

"Oka-san…" the vixen murmured, but as she said that, the woman started to shift and change into Yugito Nii.

"I don't have much time," the blonde said, "But neither do you. You must hurry and escape this dream, or your life will end."

Hinata let confusion slide onto her face and Yugito sighed.

"You must endure this every night, as it was part of your mother's curse. I shall be here only once, to guide you to your friend, but then you're on your own. And remember, find those items!"

"But how? I have no idea where to start!" Hinata cried.

"Use your skills, young one," the older of the two said. She reached out and lightly touched the girls forehead. Information flooded into her mind.

"You only have a week. Hurry now!" Yugito said before disappearing.

**I don't know how to end this…Um…the ending to this chappie will probably end up being bad, but don't hate me for it! My muses already hate me! **

Hinata awoke to a blinding light. It was midday in the real world.

"Hime! You're awake!" an oh-so-familiar voice shouted in her ear.

"Yes, Naruto, I am awake," she said, annoyed.

"You've been out for half the day, ya know."

"Obviously."

Hinata remembered what Yugito said about there only being a week…

"Naruto, we must hurry and get the…" The what? It was plain on her companions face that he didn't know either.

'What did Yugito say?'

**I am so not proud of this chapter. Forgive me!**


	8. Bad Joke

**Ai! Sorry about this being late! I feel so bad about that! I've just had a lot on my mind, some school crap, and the plot penguins hate me! This'll probably suck, but *shrugs*, blame the penguins. So, Ima just not do a 'last time' thing and get on with the story. Oh, and one of those STUPID disclaimers.**

**Neko: If Michi owned Naruto, Sasuke would've been raped by Oro, and then murdered by Kabuto. Because Kabuto is good like that.**

**Yeah. One more thing before we start here. The only countries I'm gonna use are the Fire Country(Leaf Village), Earth Country(Rock Village), Wind Country(Sand Village), and the Water Country(Mist Village). I don't have time to do more, and the iFox don't have time for it either.**

"Get the what?" Naruto asked, puzzled. Hinata laid back her ears and thought extremely hard. Fuzzy memories started to come through and, suddenly, she knew.

"Yugito said to find each of the villages most precious items!" she shouted. Her fist pumped into the air and Naruto stepped back, surprised at her behavior.

"But," she said, sobering, "We only have a week."

"I guess we better get going then." Naruto sighed. They were going to do a lot of running.

_Sunset_

Two fox approached a mist covered lake. They seemed tired and, if they were human, covered in sweat. The yellow one(PLEASE tell me if I'm alternating colors!) looked about ready to collapse as he neared the edge of the water. The other fox did.

"N-naruto-kun," Hinata said weakly, "I can't go much farther!"

"I'm sorry Hime, but we have to keep going!" Naruto grunted as he hefted up the vixen's body and nudged her toward the mist. She groaned and limped toward the lake. A startled yelp sounded through the air.

"Hinata?!"

"Why is there water here?!" Hinata shouted. She came out from the mist soaking wet and Naruto stifled a giggle.

"Didn't I tell you this was a lake?"

_Midnight_ (This chapter SUCKS! I feel so bad about it, too…)

Hinata came out from the mist and shook out her fur(you know, like a dog). Naruto walked up behind here and collapsed.

"Phew! That was a lot of swimming!" He said tiredly. The blue vixen smiled fondly at her companion. He was really starting to grow on her.

"So, where to, Naruto-kun?" she asked, looking up to the moon. She shuddered remembering that whenever she slept, she had the nightmare.

"Shouldn't we sleep first?" he said, wondering why she wanted to keep going. Hinata looked scared but it passed in a second.

"No. I don't think _we_ should," she said, turning away, "Sleep if you want to, but I'm gonna to keep going."

The princess didn't turn around to see to sad expression on Naruto's face. She walked away, pausing only to listen for the soft footsteps of the yellow fox, but they never came.

"Hime, why are we fighting about this?" he asked, no, pleaded.

"We aren't fighting, I'm giving you a choice." Hinata said with no emotion. She didn't want it to come to this. The vixen started walking again. She stopped again and burst out laughing.

"I can't believe you fell for that!" she shouted in between gasps. Naruto's shocked and hurt face told Hinata she had gone too far.

"I was only kidding…"

"Yeah, whatever, let's just get to the village." He said. He didn't smile.

**Told you this would suck. Let's see… their arrival in the village, and that'll be a wrap for this chapter. I'm so very sorry for the quality!**

They hadn't talked the entire time. Every time Hinata tried to start a conversation, Naruto would trot ahead, clearly trying to ignore her. It made the princess sad inside.

"Are we almost there?" She asked for the tenth time. And he didn't answer for the tenth time. Hinata hmphed and looked at her feet.

A half hour later, Naruto finally spoke.

"We're here."

Hinata gaped at the immense gates that led to the Hidden Mist Village. Luckily, they were open and the two fox could just waltz on through.

"Hold it! No wild animals allowed!" a commanding voice yelled.

Or so they thought.

**Neko: Michi is crying in her emo corner( this didn't turn out at all like she thought it would, the poor dear ), so I'll handle announcements.**

**Currently, there isn't much going on. Zip, zilch, nada. Except something Michi-chan usually feels like adding, but now thinks it's totally irrevelant. So I won't tell you. ^3^ Have a nice day! And give Michi-chan some good reviews! She knows this chapter is late( and the next will probably be late too )but she is very, very sorry for the inconvience! Por favor! Help her with some good reviews!**


	9. Caught

**Hello there, readers! I'm here again with another chapter of "The Fox Prince"! As you've probably seen, I have a massive case of writer's block =__= It sucks, for both you guys and me. You guys, cuz you don't get chapters, and me, cuz I enjoy writing this stuff! So, if you could help me out, gimme some idea's in your reviews! It'll help get more chapters out sooner!**

**Disclaimer: I hate these, but they must be—OMJ, MY CAT IS FLYING! *coughs* I mean, I don't own Naruto. And happy birthday to me! It's my birthday!**

_Last time_

_Hinata gaped at the immense gates that led to the Hidden Mist Village. Luckily, they were open and the two fox could just waltz on through._

"_Hold it! No wild animals allowed!" a commanding voice yelled._

_Or so they thought__._

A big, muscle bound man blocked their entrance into the village. Hinata almost broke her neck trying to look up at him. Naruto just stared ahead blankly.

"Go away, you stupid animals!" he yelled down at them. 'He sure does yell a lot' Hinata thought. She started to open her mouth, but Naruto shot her glance that told her not to speak.

The blond fox turned around and headed for the nearest tree. He flicked his tail for Hinata to follow. Once they were behind it, Naruto spoke.

"Okay, look," he started, and Hinata nodded, "Here's the plan. I'm gonna run past the big lug, and if I get past him, I'm going to turn into an alleyway, and lead him down there. Then—"

"No way, I'm not going to let you put yourself in danger!" the blue fox interrupted. Naruto looked startled for a second, but his gaze softened and he smiled.

"I won't be. Trust me," he said, staring into her white eyes. Her ears turned red and she turned her head away. 'Why is my heart beating so fast?' she thought.

"Anyways, after I turn that corner, run through the gates and meet me in front of a blue house with a bamboo roof."

Hinata looked at the ground, not completely sure of this plan. What if Naruto was caught? What if he was hurt?

"Don't worry about me! I'll be fine, alright?" he said, nuzzling his nose into her fur. She shivered and nodded once more. And then her companion was off.

It was only moment afterwards that she heard a shout and heavy footsteps. A few more seconds and there was nothing.

Hinata crept out from behind the tree and looked towards the gates. The guard was gone and so was Naruto. She took a deep breath and ran for it.

Just as she reached the inside of the village, she was snatched up and put into a burlap sack. She screamed and clawed at the inside, but to no avail.

'Where am I?' Hinata though wildly. Her mind spun with the possibilities. Was the guard back and he had caught her? Or had someone heard her and Naruto talking and they were going to sell the pair?

The bag shook violently and Hinata's claws snagged onto the bag. She couldn't move, and so, decided not to for the rest of the trip.

**BL3CH. Once again, the chapter sucks XP But there is some fluff in there for ya ^O^ I'll save the rest for the next chapter. Until next time amigas!**

**~Michi**


	10. Help me!

**Gomen, gomen! I've been grounded for 2 weeks, and I was just putting off writing this! But, unfortunately, this isn't going to be a chappie. This is a idea request!**

**So, if you've read Chance Falls, you'll have known that I had a little thing about idea's. So, let me get this thing rollin'!**

**Events? Should Naruto be hurt? Will Hinata have to fend for herself? Tell me what you want happening!**

**What should the precious items be? They can range from thimbles, to people!**

**How should the chapters be set up? Hinata's POV, or Naruto's POV? Flashbacks?**

**New characters? Please include a quick description if so.**

**A quick look-in? Like, with Kiba( shoulda done Sasuke, since SasuHina is so popular…), Hiashi, and what-not.**

**Any extra things I haven't mentioned.**

**Well, that wraps things up. Pretty short, yes, but short and sweet is always better than long and boring! Just remember, if you don't give me idea's, no more good reads, 'cause I know the last few chapters weren't all that great. So, remember:**

**When walking around and finding an ANBU, make sure you play the Secret Agent Man song!**

**~Michi**


	11. Hoshi and Buff Guy

**Only one person sent in idea's! You guys make me feel so sad! Well, it can't be helped, but please send in idea's if you guys want me to get chapters up sooner! **

**Disclaimer: ..Naruto.**

**This chapter goes out to 9meangirl! Thank you so much for the idea's!**

Hinata yawned. She had to have been in the bag for at least an hour now. The lack of light coming in through the burlap made the space around her dark, which in turn made her tired. Her eyelids were heavy and she yawned again.

Plus, hey claws were still stuck. She couldn't exactly move without twisting her paws in the wrong way. It put her in a very awkward position.

Hinata froze when she heard voices. One was a man, and one was female. They seemed to be trying to reach an agreement; aka they were arguing.

"We don't need two fox! We have enough as it is already!" said the female. Two fox? Did they have Naruto, too?

"Yeah, I know, but they talked! As in how we are talking right now! I heard them!" Guess that answered her question if anyone overheard them.

"Right. Well, if they talk, make them talk right now."

Next thing she knew, Hinata was being dumped out of the sack—at least part of her did. Her claws were still stuck.

"What an unusual coloring…" the woman murmured. Hinata could now see that she had dark red hair and greenish eyes. The man was tall and had muscle. They looked expectantly at her.

"Um…Hi?"

The woman was dumbfounded and the man looked elated. Two seconds later, though, they both looked afraid.

"Are you some kind of demon?" the man asked. A demon? Hinata had to laugh at that.

"Of course not, no." she answered. They both exhaled.

"Is your friend a demon?" So they did have Naruto. What she didn't know was if Naruto really was a demon. It was possible, but hadn't he mentioned he was the Fire Country prince?

"Not that I know of," she said, "Where is he?"

Hinata was still trying to get her claws unstuck as the two left to go get something. She never realized how sharp her nails were before this.

_With the redhead and buff guy_

"I can't believe we actually caught talking fox!" (**A/N: Again, fox? Foxes? i-Fox?**) the redhead said. The man 'hmphed' and she rolled her eyes.

"Hoshi, think of the money we could make off them!" he exclaimed. They approached a squirming sack on a tree stump and the man grabbed hold of it. It instantly stilled.

"So, what're we going to do?" the man asked. Hoshi tapped her chin with a manicured fingernail.

"Well," she started, "We could sell them to the Feudal Lord."

"Yeah, I guess we could." He smiled mischieviously. Hoshi chuckled and they started walking towards Hinata.

_With Hinata and Hinata's POV_

I smelled them coming before I saw them. I also sniffed out Naruto, but he wasn't actually with them, which puzzled me when I saw them with a sack like the one I was in.

"He's not with you." I said suspiciously. They raised their eyebrows and gave each other a look.

"Of course he's with us," the man said.

"He's in the bag," the woman finished. The man stepped forward and flipped the bag over, as if to dump something out. Instead, he did something else.

He captured her again.

**I can't really tell if this was bad or not. It was short, yes, but was it satisfying (or whatever)? And again, thanks 9meangirl! **

**~Michi**


	12. Buff Guy's Name!

**Yeah, yeah. I know this is late, but I've been idea-blocked and I keep putting off. Be mad at me, I deserve it. Just don't hate the story! I couldn't bear it of my wonderful readers suddenly abandoned me! So, I'll make a deal with you guys. I'll update within the week if I get ten **_**signed **_**reviews. Yeah, that's right! I'll get up off my lazy butt and update quicker! So get those reviews in!**

_Hinata's POV_

This is dandy. This is freaking great. I got myself captured again. Why, in all the people in the world, did this happen to me? Seriously, a talking fox? This is ridiculous! I must be dreaming this entire thing. I'll sleep—no sleeping. But I am sleeping. Gah!

I wish I could hear those two talking. All I hear are mumbles and faint laughter. I don't get that. I'm not that far away from them you know! Maybe I shouldn't have talked. Duh, I shouldn't have talked. Naruto said not to talk! And look where I am now.

I couldn't smell Naruto anymore. This troubled me. We were supposed to find the precious items together! Speaking of, what was the Mist Village item? And from what my foxy instincts tell me, we're heading away from the village!

I wish Naruto were here…

_Naruto's POV_

I am so bored. Bored. So bored. They've kept me in a sack—for how long? Three to four hours at the most. Haven't let me out at all, not even to go do my business. I'm beginning to think that the whole world is like the inside of a burlap sack.

At first, I tried to figure out what they were saying. Before they stopped, they had sounded fearful (the guy) and skeptical (Hoshi). Now they sounded pleased as punch. My brain hurts to think why. I groan and rollover in the sack.

I start thinking of all the different kinds of butterflies that I knew of, but that ended five seconds later. Bored again. I never knew I could be this bored. Dad never let me get bored. That got me going. I might never see Dad, or go to Ichiraku's ever again.

I wish Hinata were here…

_Normal POV_

Hoshi and the Buff Guy were making quick progress. The fox had stopped struggling, so everything was peaceful. They made small talk but usually Hoshi would stop talking and they would stop talking for a while.

"How much longer, Hoshi?" he asked, tired of walking.

"Dai. You and I both know you're getting on my nerves. Ask me the question again, and I will slice your head off," she said agitatedly.

"Can't we stop to rest?" Dai whined. 'He's impossible,' Hoshi thought.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

They were silent again for awhile. To check in on our protagonists, Naruto was bored again, and Hinata was still trying to get her claws unstuck.

At last, the Mist Village capital was ahead. Dai was quivering in excitement and Hoshi flipped her hair over her shoulder and motioned for Dai to continue on.

**So. This is way shorter than the other ones. Yeah, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get this finished. Oh, and I have a little challenge. No prize, I just want to see of you guys are able to do it. I want you guys to make a GaaIno fanfic. In my mind's eye, they are perfect for each other! So work on that and the signed reviews and I'll see you guys next time!**


	13. Precious

**And I'm back! Thanks to the people who were able to review. You guys really made my day! And I'm deciding this: This chapter will be at least 800-1000 words long! Say yay with me! Yay! Well, Here we go! **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Sasuke would love Hinata and Ino and Gaara would be engaged. But that's just me =^.~= And Sakura would've died a death nobody cared about ^^**

'This sucks. I wonder if I would've been better off marrying Kiba-san?' Hinata thought as she lay trapped in the burlap sack. The rocking motion of the bag made her queasy and if she didn't get out soon, she might just go blind.

"Hoshi, how much do you think we'll get for the fox?" Dai asked, breaking the silence.

"Iuno, couple thousand? Be enough to finally settle down, ya know?" she murmured. Dai looked at her with a confused face, and Hoshi turned away. Little did he know, but Hoshi hated traveling like they did. From one place to the next, never staying in one place for more than a few days.

"Um, excuse me?" Hinata said, a little softer than a shout. Dai shook the bag roughly and asked what she wanted.

"I need to use the bathroom." She said politely. She heard sighs of exasperation and the sack was being lowered.

"Hurry it up," Hoshi said, "Dai, tie a rope around her leg to make sure she doesn't get away."

Dai did so, and an annoyed Hinata walked into the surrounding forest.

'Stupid peasants,' she thought angrily while stalking through the trees. She was a princess for Kami's sake! Marrying Kiba coul-

No. Marrying Kiba would be worse than this. It would completely ruin their friendship…

"Hinata!" someone whispered hurriedly. Hinata looked around, scared half to death. A rustle in the bushes and out came Naruto.

"Naruto! Thank Kami you're here!" she shouted in relief. He held a paw to his mouth and went around her to the rope. Naruto started to gnaw on it and a few minutes later, she was free.

"Hinata, we've got to get out of here. They will be coming any second, and we've got to be far away by then." He said, the words spilling out of his mouth like water. Hinata just stared at him for a second before nodding and taking off into the forest.

_With Hoshi and Dai_

Dai stared at the frayed rope with a glum expression. The fox had gotten away and they weren't going to get their money. He couldn't believe that this had happened to them. They were good people. They prayed to Kami everyday and did what they could for people—Dai did anyways.

Hoshi was on the verge of tears. No fox equals no money. And no money equals no permanent house. They were good—Dai was anyways. He was good enough for the both of them. He prayed and gave to poor; she didn't have to do that stuff.

"Dai, what happened?" Hoshi asked, staring off into the distance. 'She looks pretty like that,' Dai thought.

"The fox got away. Hello, where've you been?" he said teasingly. The look on her face grew somber and a tear fell down her cheek.

"I just wanted to settle down. That stupid fox cost me that chance," she sighed and rubbed her eyes, "It doesn't matter now. Let's go."

They went down the hill they were towards the city, not noticing the blue two-tailed cat in the bushes. It chuckled and followed them.

_With Hinata and Naruto_

"So…how are we gonna get into the village to get the precious item?" Naruto asked Hinata. She had no clue whatsoever and did not know why Naruto was asking her.

"I have no clue," she answered, "What is it anways?"

"Well," Naruto started, "I heard there was an orb of mist that the Feudal Lord keeps under lock and key 24-7. Maybe that's it?"

'Seems kind of obvious,' Hinata thought. She shook her head inwardly.

"That's probably our best shot," she said. They got up from where they were resting and started walking toward where their ex-captors were headed. They made scattered small talk as they went. Hinata thought she heard something—or someone—in the bushes on the side of the path. She brought it up once or twice but Naruto dismissed it as a mouse or something.

"Naruto, there it is again!" Hinata whispered urgently. Naruto gave her an irritated look and stopped.

"If I check out what it is, will you stop talking about it?" he asked. Hinata nodded and gave him her sweetest smile; at least, the sweetest smile a fox can make. Naruto rolled his eyes.

And so Naruto went into the bushes to check out what was freaking Hinata out so much. All was silent except the rustling of the bushes. Hinata sat there on the path and waited.

Suddenly, there was a high-pitched yowl pierced the air like a senbon. (**A/N: For people who don't know what that it, it's a needle. One of the Naruto characters uses it, just can't remember who. The Fuuma clan uses them…**) A hiss and growl later, and there was a froo-froo cat in front of Hinata.

"What the…?" she said, startled. Naruto came out of the bushes with an accomplished look on his furry face.

"This guy was spying on us." He said haughtily. The cat 'hmphed' and brushed itself off.

"First of all," it said loudly, and Hinata could tell the cat was female, "I am female, thank you, and I'm what you're looking for."

"We don't need you," Naruto scoffed. Hinata gave him a look that told him to shut up, and he did, but he still grumbled under his breath.

"I am the Feudal Lord's cat," she said, "My name is Precious."

**An exciting turn of events, no? And lookie there, 1000 words! I finished this at an airport, so I did get this down quicker than usual. I hope you enjoyed it! And send those reviews in! **

**~Michi!**


	14. Transformation

**Konichiwa, Reader-sans! I want to celebrate the 13****th**** chapter of Fox Prince by making another fanfic! I know I probably shouldn't, but Misplaced isn't very good, and I had a dream *3* It was a really coolio dream, but I didn't like the pairing in it xP It was NaruHina (technically), and they had a kid, yada yada yada. So maybe you guys could help me with sorting out the details! Pairings, general plot, ect. Thanks for this and reviewing guys; it means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: 3 We need this…why? Anyways, I don't own Naruto.**

_Last time on Fox Prince_

"_First of all," it said loudly, and Hinata could tell the cat was female, "I am female, thank you, and I'm what you're looking for."_

"_We don't need you," Naruto scoffed. Hinata gave him a look that told him to shut up, and he did, but he still grumbled under his breath._

"_I am the Feudal Lord's cat," she said, "My name is Precious."_

The two fox stared at the cat (**A/N: Btw, it's a Siamese!**). Her blue eyes stared right back with a fearless look on her face. 'Well, I don't know what fate has given us, but I'm going to take it!' Hinata thought. Naruto look like he was about to explode laughing.

"How do you know what we're looking for?" Naruto asked suspiciously. Hinata sighed. Had he not just said that Precious had been spying on them?

"I ran away, and I was just walking through the woods," the cat said, "I saw you and decided to listen in, and it turns out, my name is Precious, and the Feudal Lord dotes on me as if I was his only child"

Precious made a rude noise when she finished talking. She obviously did not like her master and made a point of it. 'I wonder why? She has everything she could possibly want.'

"Why did you run away?" Naruto asked. He must've seen the cat's attitude, too. (**A/N:A 'cat'itude. Lol.**) She bowed her head and sighed. Her tail twitched and flicked on the ground beside her. Hinata thought Precious looked so lonely like that; what happened to her?

"Things are getting harder. Master is spending more and more money and the citizens are getting mad. Pretty soon, I heard, a special task force is going to raid his home and burn everything," she stated sadly.

Hinata felt sad for the little cat. If she hadn't run away, she would've burned. Naruto turned his head away. 'This sounds a bit too sappy for it to be true' he thought. In truth, it was too sappy.

"Hina…" Naruto said. He didn't buy once bit of this. Hinata had tears in her eyes, but they didn't look like tears of sadness.

"Haha!" she burst out laughing. "Neko-chan, that's hilarious!"

Precious stood there a second with a shocked look on her face, before smiling.

"Good job, Hinata-san. You saw through my story."

Hinata snorts. "That was the sappiest story ever. It was kinda hard to not see through it."

Naruto gaped at the two chatting women. Was he the only one not getting this? Hinata seemed to have noticed the completely lost look on Naruto's face and screamed with laughter, setting Neko-chan off, too.

Once they were done laughing, Neko changed back into a woman.

"I quite enjoyed our talk, Hinata-san," she said joyfully, "But it's time for me to go now."

"Wait a sec…" Naruto grumbled. Neko had just made them waste precious time!

"Why'd you do that!?" he yelled. The witch had a amused expression on as she reached into her pocket.

"I wanted to give you this," she stated, handing them a misty sphere. The two fox looked at it in confusion.

"What's that?" they asked at the same time. Their ears turned pink.

"That's the Hidden Mist's precious item," she said sweetly, and disappeared.

As soon as they touched the orb, they started to get a little bigger.

Their bodies got more humanoid, transforming into a new creature.

**Hehe! I hoped you liked it! And if you don't know what they're transforming into, their gonna be anthro foxes. Just a thing to help them carry the items, ya know? I hope this isn't bad :O**

**~Michi**


	15. Carl and Joe Enter!

**Yay! I updated quickly ( well quicker than normal)! It turns out that if I write the chapter out before typing it, it gets down faster and longer! Yay for paper! But most likely, the next chapter won't be coming out anytime soon, because my carpal tunnel is acting up _ I so sorrrry! Feel free to criticize me!**

The transformation wasn't painful. In fact, they didn't even realize they had changed until they looked at each other. Their gazes were shocked at first, but they quickly turned to elation. They could now walk and talk like normal beings.

Hinata was extremely excited—until she realized something.

"Uh, Naruto?" she said worriedly. Naruto cocked his enlargened head towards her. Hinata sighed heavily.

"Isn't our appearance…I don't know…strange?"

Naruto caught on to her meaning. They couldn't go anywhere with people without being pelted by tomatoes. Neko had 'helped' again.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he admitted. He kind of liked his new body, and he liked Hinata's even more.

While he was a fox, Naruto's hormones sort of went on vacation. None of the human girls were as appealing anymore, and that had scared him. But now, looking at Hinata, they were awakened once again.

Hinata's hair glistened in the sunlight that filtered down through the treetops. Her entire body was a sleek, bluish color, and her eyes. 'Oh, Kami, her eyes,' sighed inwardly. They were like the moon at a cloudless night. All in all, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

"Why are you staring at me?" Hinata asked. The hidden meaning was, "Why are you looking at me, creepo?"

"Uh, no reason," Naruto said quickly. She shook her head and looked around.

"So, where to next, Naruto-kun?" Naruto thought for a minute, thinking of all the places they had left to go.

"Sunagakure, the Sand Village," he announced. As soon as he said this, Hinata a step forward. This resulted in an EPIC FAILURE!

She had been walking on all fours for so long **(A/N: Yeah, not really, lol), **Hinata guessed that he got used to it. Having two leg made everything confusing! Hinata had tripped and fell sprawling.

Grumbling, she stood up shakily with the help of Naruto, who for some reason had no trouble walking. Embarrassed, she dusted herself off and took another step. Not perfectly balanced, but she didn't fall.

"I'm fine!" she snapped at Naruto, who was behind her, waiting to catch her if she fell. She instantly regretted her words, seeing the hurt expression flash across his face. It was gone as soon as it had come when she tried to turn around. The act made her fall flat on her face.

_~*A few hours l8er*~_

The two traveling companions finally made headway. Learning to walk (again) proved to be too difficult. The orb was safely inside a bark backpack that Naruto had made. Hinata didn't know he was so was so talented.

The only thing that would complete their day would be some clothes. Neither of them had felt fabric in a while, and it would be nice to have something on.

As it just so happened, there were some travelers. Clothes merchants, in fact. They were standing there in the glade next to the now-standing fox. Their cart sat upturned beside them. They seemed to be tired, and irritated.

"Hey, Joe," one of the men said.

"Hey, Carl," Joe said hotly. Carl cringed, and flopped on the ground. 'What strange names' Hinata and Naruto thought at the same moment. They'd never know, though.

"I'm hungry, Joe," Carl whined. Both the foxes stomachs growled at that, and Hinata giggled. Joe scoffed and sat down and the grass. They seemed helpless, they would probably scream and run if they saw talking and two-legged fox. Hinata imagined a light bulb above her head.

"I have an idea…" she stated, and Naruto looked at her quizzically. She preceded to tell him the plan (**A/N: The Plaaaan.**)

_One ingenious plan l8er_

"Hey, Joe, do ya hear that?" Carl whispered from where they sat next to the cart. Joe 'pff'ed and lay down, trying to get some sleep in the fading sun. Carl shivered and hugged his knees to his chest.

'_Carrrllll'_

He squeaked and jumped a foot in the air. Everything was deathly still.

"Joe! There's something in the bushes!" he whispered loudly. He got a snore in response. The bushes rustled as they had before, more violently this time. Carl's breathing came out erratically, and his slim frame shook terribly.

Two shadows came out of the bushes. Pale eyes shone in the setting sun and white teeth gleamed maliciously. Carl was practically crying now, and his sobbing woke up Joe.

"Will you shut-up, Ca—"Joe froze in mid-shout. He saw the looming shapes and slowly, one agonizing inch by inch, gets up.

"Uh, Carl?" he says out of the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, Joe," Carl answered, standing up beside him.

"Statistics say," he started, "That if we run, we'll stay alive."

"I'd agree with that."

"So, let's run"

"Yes, let's."

And so they ran.

**Lol! I heart Carl and Joe! Oh, and hey. If you guys ever find a good Madara/Tobi romance fanfic (without the dip Sakura in it) tell me! Seriously, almost every Madara/Tobi romance fic is with Sakura! Who came up with that!? I will personally go hurt them :P Jk, but seriously. Tell me!**


	16. Author's Plea

**I've noticed, being the observant person I am, that this story is getting less and less views. Now, I'm all about reviews, but views are cool too, but there's hardly anybody reading it anymore! Do you guys know how sad that makes an author? I'm sure that sometimes my fellow author's feel that way, too.**

**Now, my whole reason for this Author's Note, is because I want some motivation! Maybe some more people reading it, eh? And for the people who only read, but don't review, REVIEW! I allow anonymous reviews, meaning even people who don't have a FanFiction account can review!**

**So, could you, please, answer an author's plea? My awesome readers, I'm counting on you!**


	17. Of Clothes and Love

**Omgeezers, I love you guys! You guys are, like, the best people IN DA WORLD! Thanks soooo much for reviewing! You have no idea how much this means to me. Before I start crying tears of absolute joy, I'd better start the story. And as a reward, I think I'll put in some much-needed fluff :P**

**Disclaimer: *sniff* I don't own Naruto.**

Hinata and Naruto watched the two salesmen run from the clearing, leaving their cart behind them. The pair was quite funny, and it made Hinata sad when she made Carl cry. 'I'm becoming less a princess and more a vagrant everyday' she thought.

"So, Naruto-kun," she yawned, "Shall we collect our spoils?"

Naruto chuckled in mild amusement. "I think we shall!"

They linked arms and walked into the clearing. They went about collecting clothes and money in a very dignified manner. Naruto bowed to Hinata while she curtsied to him and then they descended upon the clothes like hawks.

As luck would have it, there was even a well-made backpack for the orb in there.

When they were done selecting clothes, Hinata was dressed in a peasant girls blouse and a knee-length brown skirt. Naruto, too, had a peasant's blouse on, but instead of a skirt, he wore a pair of dark-blue slacks.

'Naruto-kun looks quite handsome in those slacks.' Hinata thought as they were sitting down to eat. Luck must really love them, because Carl and Joe had even left their food. The vixen only felt slightly guilty.

"Hina-chan," Naruto said carefully, as if not sure how the conversation that would follow would turn out okay.

"Yes, Naru-kun?" she asked, turning her heads towards him and smiling. His ears turned pinkish and he gulped.

"U-um, you know that thing you made me promise when I met you?"

The pale-eyed girl nodded slowly, pausing only a moment to collect her memories. They had had the conversation before, but it had been interrupted by a flaming cat.

"Well…why?"

That question, in turn, made Hinata question herself. Back then, the answer was: "So I don't have to marry my best friend."

But now, she wasn't quite so sure.

"I don't know," she whispered. His eyes looked angrily at her; he had a right to know the real reason. Why would she hide something like this? She was his—

No. She wasn't his anything. Maybe his friend, but in the end, they weren't anything more than that. And at that moment, he wanted—_yearned_—to be something more. He wanted her to touch him comfortingly when he was stressed; he wanted her to speak soft words when he was angry. He wanted _her._

"Naruto-kun, why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, looking a little frightened. His eyes were a mass of different emotions; anger, passion, a little lust. These emotions did not fit him, and it scared her.

"Naruto why—" She was cut off by her companion pouncing on her. The breath was knocked out of her as she hit the ground with a _thud_! Naruto towered over her, looking into her eyes. His eyes burned with an intensity that would put the sun to shame (**A/N: Ehhh, cheesy moment, sorry!**)

"Hinata," he whispered, "I think I love you."

**Kusou, I did not want to stop there. Brain went all mushy and cheesy and made me write this. I also wanted to update quickly so I could thank you guys! Lovely readers you! I promise the next chapter will be up by the end of the month, maybe sooner. I hope to get it out within the week. Till next time…**

**Sayonara!**


	18. Orb of Teleportation?

**Okie, so I know the last chapter was a bit disappointing. I tried to make it cute, with Naruto all frustrated and Hinata not knowing what to say; and I think my writing has gotten better :D More professional. Anyways, ANOTHER disclaimer, and then we'll get rollin'.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co., but I do own the new phrase, 'I could eat him/her with a side of fries!'…I think…**

_Last time_

"_Hinata," he whispered, "I think I love you."_

Hinata stared up at her friend in awe. He loved her? Was that why he was always glancing at her? It didn't seem possible; but then again, turning into fox didn't seem possible either.

'What's that bubbly feeling in my stomach?' Hinata thought to herself. It wasn't something she'd never felt before; just an emotion that had been locked away for a long time.

"Naruto," she said slowly, as if she hadn't spoken for a long time, "I think I feel the same way."

Naruto's face lit up with joy and he hugged her. It was slightly awkward, considering they were on the ground and he was on top of her. Hinata started fidgeting underneath him and Naruto slid off.

"Ah, Naruto, not to ruin the moment or anything, but how are we supposed to get to the villages?"

Her companion laughed and hugged her again. Hinata hugged back this time, being that she wasn't caught off guard.

"We use the orb, of course," he said calmly after he was done, as if this was common knowledge. It was not, obviously, and his words puzzled the vixen.

"What do you mean?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. Naruto took the orb out of the backpack they stole and sat it in his lap.

"It has teleportation abilities. Didn't you know that?" he said, tapping the sphere's round side thoughtfully. 'Oh great' she thought. 'Now I feel stupid'

"We should probably get some sleep," Hinata sighed. She was very tired, not having slept for at least 17 hours **(A/N:** **Made up a number. By the way, they've spent two days getting the orb, so four days left!) **They fell asleep in each other's arms only a short time after lying down.

_8 A.M. the next morning *3*_

"Alright, we got everything?" Hinata asked. They didn't have much; just a small bag of money, some food, and extra clothes. Plus the orb.

"Yes," he shouted as his stomach growled, "Well, just about."

The princess giggled. Her companion was looking at her sheepishly, while shouldering a backpack. They had forgotten completely about breakfast. And lunch from the day before. And dinner. And as she thought about it, she realized that her stomach hurt from being so hungry.

"We don't have much food from the cart, so we should probably catch something," Hinata said. The idea of eating a live animal still disgusted her, but no more than eating dirt did. **Ew**

"So, Naru-chan," the vixen said inbetween bites of a rabbit. He grunted and continued eating his.

"How exactly do we use the orb to teleport?"

"Well, oo 'ap three diff'rent places an' say where oo wanna go," he said with his mouth full. 'Geez, I thought he was prince' she thought, slapping her forehead mentally.

They were ready to go about ten minutes later. Naruto held the sphere between his paws and was looking at Hinata. She nodded and tapped three places on the orb as he instructed her.

"Hidden Sand Village," she intoned, and in a whirlwind of sand from their destination, they were gone.

**Yeah, I'm sorry. Goin' back to shorty chapters. Buuuut, I'll write longer chapters after two short chapters. :D Thanks for reading!**

**Michi-tan~**

**P.S.**

**I thought of something really funny for Carl and Joe. Here it goes.**

**Carl and Joe**

**Apart, they are worthless dipshits**

**But together**

**They can save the world**


	19. Gaara the Mage

**Alright, here ya go, my lovely readers! Also, please go read my newest story, At the Divide. It would mean the world to me!**

**Disclaimer: Cheh, I wish.**

_Last time on The Fox Prince_

"_Hidden Sand Village," she intoned, and in a whirlwind of sand from their destination, they were gone._

When they arrived, a sandstorm was raging. The sand whipped their fur around violently and it felt like their tails would be ripped off their bodies.

"Gah, Naruto! Why didn't you say it was sandstorm season!?" she yelled over the wind. He apologized profusely and focused on getting to the village. They could hardly see a foot in front of their face. There was yellow as far as the eye could see.

After a while, the sandstorm calmed down a bit to where the two could get somewhere. It was a barren wasteland that yielded nothing to help them survive. Before long, it was too hot for them to continue.

"N-naruto," Hinata panted. The sun was high overhead and she couldn't go much farther. They were both seriously dehydrated and food deprived.

"What, Hina'a," Naruto wheezed. She never answered him, and instead collapsed onto the sand. They were slowly being baked alive in an oven called a desert.

Neither of them had expected that the orb would dump them in the middle of the desert instead of right outside the village gates. If they had known that, they would have done something to prevent it.

"Hey, you! What're you doing out here?" a gruff voice called. A man walked up to them, seemingly out of nowhere. He had red hair, and sea-foam eyes, and a gourd strapped to his back. He didn't seem at all perturbed by their strange appearance.

"I said, what are you doing out here?" he said again. He took another look at their exhausted bodies and sighed. The red-head reached down into the sand, whispered some words to it, and blew. Immediately, sand picked up the bodies of the two royal's and whisked them off somewhere. The man disappeared as soon as he came.

* * *

Hinata woke up in a dark place. It wasn't pitch-black, but it was dark enough to make her alarmed. She sat up quickly and looked around for her boyfriend. Naruto was lying only a few feet away, mumbling in his sleep. Hinata felt her stomach go all fuzzy.

"Ah, good. You're awake," a calm voice stated. The vixen whirled around to find a red-hand sitting in a wooden chair, a hand resting on the biggest gourd she had ever seen.

"Who are you?" she asked, getting into a sitting position.

He smiled softly. "I am Sabaku no Gaara, manipulator of sand. And you are?"

"Hyuuga Hinata, first daughter of Hiashi…" Hinata decided not to say the rest. It would most likely cause trouble. Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"May I ask _what_ you are?" he asked, the smile still playing on his lips. From where he lay, Naruto snorted and rolled over. Hinata giggled raspily.

"I'm, ah, a fox that Kyuubi-sama decided to…give human attributes," she lied. It wasn't a very good lie, and our heroine can't lie very well.

"I see," Gaara said, furrowing his brow, "Why are you lying?"

"I-I'm not lying!"

Gaara scoffed when she said this. Was she really this obvious? Hinata huffed and crawled over to Naruto. He looked so cute when he was sleeping. She poked his nose to wake him up.

"Naruto," she said in a hoarse whisper. She saw Gaara shift her head towards them when she said this. Naruto stirred a bit to her incessant poking.

"Hina-chan, stoppit," he rasped. They seriously needed water.

"Gaara-san, could you give us some water?" she asked the red-head. He nodded and went to a small cupboard. He brought out two glasses and handed it to the two. They drank it gratefully and when they were done, they cuddled up, ever so slightly.

"So, are you going to tell me why you lied?" Gaara asked again. Hinata sighed. Should she trust him? Most likely, if he was a mage.

"I, uh, well…you see…that is," she stuttered. He made her so nervous!

"We're enchanted, and the only way to fix this, is for us to find the precious item's of each village," Naruto said, laying his head on Hinata's shoulder. Gaara nodded in satisfaction and reached into his pocket for something.

"In the desert, we see lots of shooting stars," he started, and brought out a black lump, "Several years ago, a star fell in my village. It fell on a sacred day, and people took it as a sign. We consider it precious, but not the most precious."

He gave them the black lump. The two studied it for a minute. It was a metallic black, and it caught what little light that was in the cave quite well.

"Thank you, Gaara-san, but why did you have this with you?" Hinata asked, setting the meteorite in their backpack. He chuckled and leaned back in the chair.

"I foretold your coming here. I decided to keep it with me until that happened," he said simply.

Naruto and Hinata decided to stay the night. They would set off to the Rock Village in the morning.

**Oh my gosh, raise your hand if you're going to the MegaCon in Orlando in March! I'm going as Zexion :P Lol, hope you like the chapter!**


	20. Plot Penguins H8 Me

**Hehe, my bad.**

**Disclaimer: If I did, would I be here?**

_Last time…_

"_I foretold your coming here. I decided to keep it with me until that happened," he said simply._

_Naruto and Hinata decided to stay the night. They would set off to the Rock Village in the morning._

Gaara watched the sunrise from the cave mouth. He should probably wake the two strange people up soon, but they looked so peaceful sleeping in eachother's arms. It seemed a crime to ruin the sight; what harm would an hour or two make?

According to the sand, the couple only had about two days left. They would have to hurry to get the next item they needed, or they would remain like they were, forever.

The fox stirred as the light filtered into the cave. Hinata's eyes fluttered open and she squirmed in Naruto grip. The vixen was released when her companion yawned and stretched.

"Hina-chan," he slurred, grinning lazily, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Naruto-kun," she replied. It certainly was a good morning, as they now only had two precious items left to find. They would be human in no time!

The two did their best to appear decent before they joined Gaara for breakfast. It was hopeless; Hinata's hair was knotted to the point where she would have to cut it; Naruto's…well, he was fine. Hinata's huffed and gave up trying to detangle her hair.

"Ah, you're awake," a voice said casually. Gaara had set up a small wooden table with food at the cave entrance. He was sitting down, sipping tea and eating a biscuit. Hinata blushed when she saw that the redhead was only wearing a fishnet undershirt. (**-drools- couldn't help myself =^.~=**)

Naruto cleared his throat. "Yes, we are. May we join you?"

"By all means," he said, gesturing to the table. They sat down and began eating.

They were ready to go an hour later. Hinata's hair annoyed her so much, she had asked Gaara for some scissors, and cut it to a short bob. Naruto was extremely sad about that. He was still sulking.

"Remember to watch out for Deidara." Gaara warned them. They assured him they would and proceeded to use the orb.

"Hidden Rock Village," Hinata said, and they were gone. Gaara sighed. He would miss them.

* * *

"Owww." Naruto groaned. Hinata was in a similar state; they had both fallen on rocks when they teleported.

"Remind me to never come here," Hinata stated as she shook herself off. She looked around and saw that they were in the middle of nowhere. Nothing was in sight except rocks, rocks, and—what was that?

A tremor rattled the earth beneath their feet. They fell again.

"What was that?" Hinata gasped.

Naruto attempted to shrug. "Probably Deidara."

**-winces- I don't get it! My idea's just…stopped! I'll get the next chapter up by, like, Wednsday. May lightning strike me where I stand if I don't. Wait. No. Then I wouldn't ever update! **

**~Michi**


	21. Back :

**And I'm back! Cookies to all who review after so long~**

**Disclaimer: Michi don't own, but Michi does own a kawaii Sasuke duck :3**

They had arrived at a good time. There was a big celebration going on in the Rock Village (for some reason or another) and everyone was wearing animal costumes. This made the search much easier.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered/shouted. There was a large amount of people and the cacophony of voices was deafening. The couple were walking hand in hand through a particularly crowded section of the village and the throng of people threatened to make them lose each other.

"What, Hina-chan?" he asked, cocking his head toward her direction but not removing his gaze from straight ahead.

"Naruto, I think we should—"

"Hey, nice costumes, you two!" someone shouted, "You should enter the contest!"

That someone bounded up to them, very agile in the mass. He looked no older than 15, yet his voice suggested otherwise; it was very mature. His black hair blended in with the black bear costume he was wearing.

"Er, thanks, but I don't think we will…" Naruto trailed, adjusting his hat a little more and trying to flatten his ears beneath the hat.

"Oh, okay…" the man/boy said sadly, then perked up again, "Would you enter if I said that the prize was 100,000 yen? Oh, and some rare scroll or whatever along with a box of C4 clay."

Hinata was trying to pull Naruto away from the stranger, but as soon as the prince heard 100,000 yen, it was a lost cause. His eyes lit up at the prospect of money to buy food and immedietly was all for it.

"Lead the way!"

The vixen panicked. If they wasted all their time on a stupid contest, they were never going to find the precious item. The sun was already setting, an orange glow staining everything. After a few seconds, though, she knew he wasn't going to veer of his course.

The bear cosplayer calmly, but quickly, led the way through the crowd. It didn't take them long to reach the stage in the middle of a large park where they would be showing off. A girl in a cat costume waved enthusiasticly towards their guide and he winked at her.

"So, um, how come you think we should enter the contest?" Naruto asked, glancing towards the girl who was obviously the bears girlfriend. 'Not too shabby' he thought, but quickly dismissed it when he saw Hinata glaring at him.

"Oh, well, I saw your girls costume and thought she might want to enter the all girl's competition." He bragged. There was something in his tone that made Hinata think there was something else he wanted to say.

"And?" she prompted.

"And, Emi is totally going to beat you," he finished, not at all abashed.

Now, Hinata had always been competitive by nature. When she was six, her and Sakura decided to race to the kitchens. The whole had gone well, until Sakura got in the lead. Needless to say, the young princess, driven to win, pushed the bubble-gum headed freak down and laughed in her face. She never did apologize.

"Awwww, no! It is on like DONKEY KONG!"

**:D I'm back, baby! I'll get the next one up, in like..I dunno when :P But if you would be so kind, go review my new fic, At the Divide, please? It would make me oh so happy and I might update faster :D**

**That and please go read my good friend Rima-chan's fanfiction :D She's a starving author in need of some praise :)**


	22. Ikimono festival

**:D Hello, duckies~ Thanks so much for the reviews~ **

**Disclaimer: Nopity nope!**

The thought of beating someone down again revved Hinata up. That little punk's girlfriend was going down!

"A-ah, Hina-hime. You don't have to take this seriously you know," Naruto said, shouldering his backpack. The girl was currently holding a clipboard with a sign sheet on it and scrawling her name out furiously. She gave an angry look to her boyfriend.

"Are you kidding! I will not be beaten by a cat!" she shrieked. A little known fact about the vixen was that she hated cats. A bad run in with a feral cat years left her scarred for life. Plus, she was slightly allergic.

The bear man watched the fox with mild interest. She was getting so worked up over a competition! It was amusing to watch her glare daggers at the random girl he'd chosen to be his girlfriend for the day. On the other hand, this was not helping their little quest they were on. 'Gaara specifically told me to keep an eye on them' he thought, 'And keep an eye on them I shall'

Hinata followed some other costumed girls to a long line. A middle-aged woman headed it, holding a clipboard and calling out names. In short, someone would yell 'here' and skip up to the woman.

"Hoshi Raito," she called out sharply, and a red haired woman slinked towards the front. Something was familiar about her, but Hinata just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Hinata…Hyuuga?" The roll-call woman's voice was questioning. As she watched the girl come forward, the two things she thought were very contradicting.

First: 'Is she that missing princess from the Land of Sun? I wonder if I could risk turning her in…'

Second: 'What an exquisite costume!'

Hinata watched the redhead walked by her. A weird feeling of Déjà vu washed over her, but she shook it off and faced the person who called her.

"Hinata?" she asked, and the girl nodded, "Over there with group B, please."

Hoshi had the same weird sense of Déjà vu that Hinata had. The style of her competitors outfit reminded her of something that happened not too long ago, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. She shrugged her shoulders and moved on.

"So, who are you again?" Naruto asked the bear-man who was gazing at the girl's division. Naruto assumed that he was staring at his girlfriend, but he had no idea. The light was slowly fading behind them.

"Oh, um, name's Deidara," he answered, going on his tip-toes when someone tall walked across his field of vision. Naruto froze; didn't Gaara tell them to beware of this man?

"So," Naruto trailed, "I'm gonna go find a different spot."

Deidara nodded impatiently and returned to girl-watching. Naruto walked away, casting looks behind him as he went, and found a good spot to watch his girlfriend.

"Costume Contest: Girl's Division, now underway," a voice said through a loudspeaker (A/N: Do not ask me when this takes place, I've decided to put both modern and medieval elements in here :P), "Please proceed to the pavilion to watch the event."

A swarm of village citizens entered the pavilion and the cacophony of voices grew louder. The middle-aged woman hopped on the stage that had been erected in the back of the meeting place.

"Quiet!" she shouted into a microphone, and everyone was silent almost immiedietly.

"Good," she said, satisfied, "Well, welcome to the fourth Ikimono Festival! For the closing event of the first day, we'll have the Costume Contest! First up is…" (A/N: I got lazy and didn't feel like making a bunch of names…And I'm not sure if Ikimono means animal or not, but that's what I meant :P)

Naruto waited patiently for Hinata to appear. Eventually, she did.

"Hinata Hyuuga!" the woman called, and several people perked the ears. Could it be…? Naw, just a coincidence.

A shy girl stepped out onto the stage. Everyone sucked in a breath when they saw her costume. The muzzle was perfectly shaped, the tail expertly crafted from only the finest fur. Everyone could see she was in it to win, and by the looks of it, so was her boyfriend.

"Woo! Go Hina-chan!" her practically screamed, and she waved. Then she was hurried off the stage. The announcer called a few more names, including Hoshi Raito, and then said it was time to vote.

A few moments later, all the ballots were in. No one was surprised when it was announced that Hinata had won. Hinata bounded over to Naruto with prizes in hand.

"Yay! I won, Naru-kun!" she said gleefully. He scooped her up in his arms and they nuzzled each other. During their happy moment, Deidara had walked up to them at some point.

"Congrats," he praised , and they stared curiously at him, "For getting the precious item of course!"

Naruto was confused. "B-but, Gaara said you were the bad guy!"

"I'm pretty sure all he said was to stay away," he corrected, "Probably because he thought I'd take your girl."

Deidara winked at said girl and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, well, now that that's all said and done," she huffed, "You said we had a precious item?"

Deidara laughed. "The clay, you silly girl! We use that for all sorts of things here; why, I developed it myself."

While the bear-man gabbed, Naruto put Hinata down, and slung the backpack around.

"Yes, well, we'd better get going," Naruto said, and discreetly brought the orb out. Hinata nodded and, with one last look at Deidara, touched the orb.

"Hidden Leaf Village," she intoned, and in a swirl of leaves, they both disappeared.

**Long chap for ya' :D I think my muse has come back~ Fantastic, ne? Well, I have a contest type thing. Whoever gets the 150****th**** review will get to decide what the next precious item will be and the song for my next song fic :)**

**Michi**


	23. Leaf Village

**Why? Why are you guys not reviewing? Do you think I'm a terrible author or something? Now I'm depressed…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. And neither does all the other Naruto fanfiction writers…**

_"Yes, well, we'd better get going," Naruto said, and discreetly brought the orb out. Hinata nodded and, with one last look at Deidara, touched the orb._

_"Hidden Leaf Village," she intoned, and in a swirl of leaves, they both disappeared._

They arrived in Konoha not a second later. Naruto yawned and scratched his furry belly. He was secretly very happy; he was home again. When he looked around, he realized they were in an alley in the main village not too far away from the palace.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata asked, turning to the fox-person, "Do you know where we are?"

He grinned. "I sure do! Come on, follow me!"

He jogged out into the street, Hinata close behind him. From where they were standing, they could see the royal palace. Its white marble shone in the white sun. Citizens from the village were packing up their stalls, buying food at the last minute, or just going home. Nobody payed the two fox people any mind.

"Hey, Naru," Hinata called from behind him.

"Yeah?" he answered back.

"Why aren't the people, I don't know, screaming in terror?" She made a good point, but Naruto didn't seem concerned.

He shrugged. "They've seen weirder than two talking, walking foxes."

They continued. Some of the remaining people started whispering when they noticed them. One person ran off in the direction of the castle.

Within a few minutes, it was a ghost town. You could hear the crickets chirping wherever they were. Hinata and Naruto had slowed down to a slow walk, and while Naruto's head was facing forward the entire time, Hinata's was swiveling in every direction, taking in the sights.

"The town's not usually this empty at this hour," he muttered to himself. His companion only half heard him, quickly saying 'Uh huh' and going back to sight-seeing.

She pointed. "What is that?"

Naruto looked at what she was pointing at and smiled. One of the Great Wonders of their countries, it was a big tourist thing in his town.

"King Mountain," he said proudly.

"It's lovely," Hinata murmured. She latched onto her boyfriend's arm and snuggled into the crook of his neck. Naruto lay his head on hers and they walked in silence.

They reached the palace after a few moments. The vixen was entranced by the way it made: intricate designs were carved into each individual slab of marble and the door they were at was made from only the finest cherry wood.

The yellow fox knocked on the door. As he did, he slung part of the backpack off and handed it to Hinata. She took it and cradled it in her arms; they waited.

"What is it you want, stranger?" a gruff voice called from the other side of the door. Naruto smirked as best he could in his current form.

"Oh, the usual," he said offhandedly, "Food, shelter, and…an open door, teme!"

All was silent on the other side of the door. Hinata jumped when she heard the bolt thrown. The door was thrown open and a raven haired man stood in its place. He was shocked when he saw the two fox standing in front of him.

"N-naruto?" 'Teme' stuttered, "Is that you?"

The blond grinned a foxily (**A/N: Err, not foxily as in sexy, foxily as in…he's a fox**.) "In the flesh, buddy!"

"We all thought you were dead," the raven said sadly, "Where've you been? And what are you wearing?"

Naruto shrugged. "I TPed Kyuubi's house and he kinda turned me into a fox."

The two friends talked and laughed together. Hinata stood quietly in background, awaiting for the two guys to stop.

They did, eventually, after some harping from the vixen.

"Who do you have here?" Naruto's friend asked. Naruto stared at him for a second before something dinged in his head.

"Oh yeah! Introductions," he cleared his throat, "Sasuke, this is Hina-chan, my girlfriend. Hina-chan, Sasuke, my brother."

The girl froze. Sasuke was the man she was supposed to get married to*, and she was with his brother.

Awkward.

***I changed who she was going to get married to. If you remember, it was originally Kiba, but then I got into SasuHina and did that. **

**Remember to review and I'll love you forever and ever and ever and never~**


	24. Fight

**Hope the non-reviewers liked my plot-twist ^^ I hope to get this finished by the end of the year and then I will start rewriting it and my other stories :D By the way, I think there are only two days left in their adventure…**

**Disclaimer: Nope, nuh uh. If I did, there would be no English dub. SUBS FOREVER!**

_"Oh yeah! Introductions," he cleared his throat, "Sasuke, this is Hina-chan, my girlfriend. Hina-chan, Sasuke, my brother."_

_The girl froze. Sasuke was the man she was supposed to get married to*, and she was with his brother._

_Awkward._

"It's nice to meet you, Hina," Sasuke said, nodding. Hinata smiled nervously and grabbed her tail, holding on for dear life. She looked at the setting sun as if remembering something, but not quite.

"Oh, her full name's—" The vixen quickly jabbed Naruto's ribs as he said this with her elbow, "Ow! What the heck was that for?"

She panicked. "Uh, I saw a bug."

Sasuke gave the two a strange look before shaking his head dismissively. Hinata kept fiddling with her tail agitatedly; Naruto would ask about her little scene later (and that would mean trouble for her), but he'd let it go for now.

Eventually, they went inside and were shown to rooms. When Naruto asked his brother if he could see their father, he was told that he wouldn't arrive until tomorrow, due to a peace agreement with the Land of Sun that was being made.

"Land of Sun?" Hinata asked incredulously. Naruto was also interested in this, being his father's unofficial 'Peace-or-War' advisor.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, "Apparently their princess has gone missing, and their blaming us. I don't see why it would be us, though. Father was the one who suggested marriage to her."

The blond's eyebrows knitted together. "Which one of us would marry her?"

"Me, of course," the raven said smoothly. Naruto shot a glance toward his girlfriend, and then let his eyes wander over to a window. It was dark outside, the moon and stars shining brightly. His ears flattened against his head and he turned back to his brother.

"I think we'll go to bed now," he said, "Good night, Sasuke."

They parted ways and when Naruto shut the door, he glared at Hinata.

"Why didn't you tell me you were marrying my brother?" he asked, furious. The vixen had never seen Naruto this angry (she had never even seen him remotely mad) and she was slightly scared.

"Well, I wanted to," she started, "But the first time we were interrupted by Yugito, and I just didn't think it was important…"

He paused. "You mean when I asked you why you wanted me to come back with you?"

Hinata nodded and the blond seemed to get even angrier.

"You were just using me?" he almost screamed. Tears started to well up in her eyes and guilt filled her entire being.

"No, I wasn't! Well, maybe just that first day, but after that…!" She wasn't helping her case any.

Naruto gave her a hard look. "Why should I believe you now?"

"Because…" Hinata whispered, "I love you. It only been a few days and I know that you're the one for me. I feel like this is usually what the men say, but I would go to the ends of the earth and back again for you. I'm willing to stay in this form if it would make you happy!"

Naruto was quiet for a while after that. Her words had a serious effect on him, but he didn't know what to do. He opened and closed his muzzle in an effort to speak. Hinata sat there, feeling stupid and mad at herself.

"Do you really mean that?" he asked hesitantly.

She tilted her head. "Of course, Naruto. Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know," he sighed. He walked over to the bed and sat down, patting the spot beside him. Hinata sat down and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Are we okay now?" she murmured, holding his paw.

"Yeah."

**I had more ideas but they disappeared because I was watching Crazy Heart.**

**So, I noticed I changed a lot of stuff since the beginning. Unfortunately, I write down what seems good at that time; aka, screw the plot. Right now, I want to finish this and get started on a KisaOC. Or finish AtD. Whatever comes first. **

**Alrighty, remember to review!**


	25. Minato

Hi and welcome back to Fox Prince! Please put any idea's you might get in the review you give me! Or you can PM me….Maybe if you give me specific stuff, I can put them directly in the story :D And it would make me oh-so-happy if this story got 200 reviews….You know, it's Fox Princes Anniversary :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other big thing out there. I'm only 14, jeez.

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They woke up the next morning in each other's arms once again, but in an entirely different situation. Hinata opened her eyes and looked at Naruto's peaceful face and smiled. The light shining through the window above their heads gave him a halo of light, making him seem angelic.

A light knock was heard at the door, startling the girl. She frantically looked for her clothes while shaking her lover awake. The knocking got louder and Hinata finally spotted a clump of fabric on a chair, moving quickly to snatch it up.

"Naruto, wake up!" she hissed, slipping into the white dress easily. Once she had it on, she grabbed the man clothes that were left and tossed them to the stirring Naruto.

He yawned. "Why are we getting up so early, Hina-chan?"

"There's someone at the door," she muttered, brushing through her mussed up hair as nice as she could with paws. Naruto grabbed her wrist and gazed into her eyes.

"You look great," he whispered, "And I'm sure whoever is out there won't tell you otherwise."

They rubbed noses affectionately and walked to the door. The pounding only got louder and when Naruto opened the door, Hinata was shocked to see a man who could've been Naruto's twin, except taller.

"Sasuke told me you were here," the man said, "But he never said you looked like this."

Naruto beamed. "Dad!"

The embraced each other and laughed. The vixen smiled, giggling a little bit at their antics. They were definitely father and son; from what she could tell, they not only looked alike, but they acted alike, too. Just in the minute that he was there, Hinata could tell that they were very close and probably did almost everything together.

"Dad, it's great that you're here," Naruto started, "We need to—"

"Why don't you introduce me to your friend?" 'Dad' interrupted, smiling.

His son sighed. "Hinata, my dad, Minato. Dad, Hinata."

Minato blinked. It took Naruto a second to realize what he said. His ears flattened against his head and he started stuttering.

"N-not—I-I mean…I-It's not what you think…"

"Naruto," Minato asked carefully, "Is she the missing princess?"

Hinata spoke up. "I highly doubt I'm missed."

They both looked at her strangely. She took a deep breath and began with the day she met Naruto. That was also the day she found out she was going to be married. While she was recounting the past few days, Hinata realized that they didn't have much time left and started to panic halfway through.

"If we don't get the last item, we're gonna stay like this forever," she trembled, lip quivering. The prince was shocked and tried to appeal to his father.

"Dad, you have to give us the scroll," Naruto pleaded.

Minato shook his head. "I can't even if I had it."

"What! You don't have it."

"Itachi has it. He stole it shortly after you left."

Hinata stood quietly between the two. She thought long and hard about this Itachi person. Yugito had said they had needed to bring all the items to him, but since he had one of them, what were they going to do now?

"Since Itachi already has our last item," Hinata murmured, "Then we can just go to him, ne?"

Naruto sighed. "It's not that simple. He constantly moves; there's no way to pinpoint where he is right now.

"Also, he lives in an illusion."

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Almost two pages long :D Hope you enjoyed. Remember to review :) It would be a fantastic birthday present (although it's not for another two and a half months…) if I really did get 200 reviews. And maybe some fan art :D Thanks for reading!

~Michi-tan


	26. Ririsu!

This chapter brought to you by…Ninja O's, the delicious breakfast cereal sure to make chakra like never before! That and the lovely reviews you guys give me :)

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Sasuke would've…I dunno, made out with Naruto, or something.

(Sorry about that last chapter ^^; I was having my friend help me and she can't view Microsoft Word. Anyways, ENJOY!)

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_Last time_

_Naruto sighed. "It's not that simple. He constantly moves; there's no way to pinpoint where he is right now._

"_Also, he lives in an illusion."_

"He…what?" Hinata said, confused. Naruto nodded solemnly. His father had a thoughtful expression, as if he knew something important.

"Well, on the contrary," he began, "Your brother has conducted a system to finding Itachi."

Naruto sighed. "Always the over-achiever. Well, what it is?"

"Ask Sasuke; it was a long plan, and I didn't have time to listen," Minato mumbled, turning to leave. His son nodded and followed him out.

"N-naruto! What am I supposed to do…"Hinata trailed, paws clutching the folds of her dress. They had left without her; what was she going to do now? 'I suppose I could wander the castle' she thought, gliding out of the room.

She admired the architecture, running a paw over some of the more intricate works. A delightful smell reached her nose, and, stomach growling, sniffed her way to the kitchens.

The smell got stronger, and as the vixen got closer, she realized the scent to be her favorite food: cinnamon rolls. This made her even more eager to reach the kitchens. At home, she would've never been allowed in that section of the castle; here, she didn't even hesitate.

"Hello?" Hinata called into the bustling kitchen, hoping to get someone's attention. A spoon came flying towards her and, startled, she ducked.

"How many times do I have to tell you people," a gruff voice asked, "The food will be ready when it's ready!"

The person to whom the voice belonged to appeared from out of the crowd. His tanned face was lightened somewhat by the flour that covered his face and his long sleeved shirt did nothing to hide the muscles underneath. The princess was also surprised to see a stitch that ran along the side of his face.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, "I haven't eaten since yesterday and the cinnamon rolls smelled delectable."

His face darkened. "They should for all the money they cost."

Hinata noticed that the man hadn't reacted to her appearance whatsoever. In fact, he seemed uninterested with the girl herself. They stood there for a few more seconds before he cleared his throat.

"Well, if that's all…" He started to retreat back to his kitchen. Hinata stopped him when she saw a flash of pink bob through the mass.

"Could I get someone to show me back to the main hall?" she asked. "I'm afraid I didn't pay attention to where I was going on the way down here."

He nodded. "Yo, Pinkie! Get over here."

A pink-haired girl scurried over. "Yes, chef?"

"Show the lady to the main hall," he commanded and left.

The two girls walked in silence. The pinkette cast glances at the princess frequently. Finally, when the quiet had almost driven her to insanity, Hinata turned to the younger.

"How did you get here before me?" she questioned, confusing her. "It's me, Hinata."

"H-hinata!" she squealed (A/N: Like a pig, too XD).

"Sakura!" The vixen said in relief. They embraced and laughed, unaware of the figure approaching them.

"I see you two know each other," he said, arms crossing over his chest.

Sakura froze. "S-sasuke-kun…"

Sasuke's gaze softened somewhat as she spoke. As he opened his mouth to speak to her, Naruto came up behind them, clapping a hand on his brothers' shoulder. The blond smiled when he saw his girlfriend.

"Come on, guys! Itachi's waiting!"

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They stood staring at an empty space in the woods. There was a slight shimmering in the air as they got closer.

"Are you sure this is the place?" she asked hesitantly, clinging to Naruto's arm.

Sasuke nodded. "He never moves from the Nara forest. And you see that shimmer? That's his illusion."

Hinata reached up to touch it; it rippled like water. She withdrew her hand quickly, sending the more ripples across the surface.

Naruto cleared his throat. "Well, I suppose we should get going. Ladies first~"

"I'm sorry," Hinata said, turning to Sasuke, "But as you can see—"

"It's no problem," he interrupted, "Besides, I already have someone."

The last thing she saw was the peaceful smile of the raven before Naruto pulled her through the veil. On the other side, as far as the eye could see, were clouds; red ones. They marveled at the sight, not realizing that they themselves were standing on one.

"I see you've found my hideaway," someone said, the voice seeming to come from everywhere. The two fox-people jumped at the sound, forgetting that they weren't alone. Hinata looked wildly around for the owner of the voice.

"Show yourself," Naruto commanded.

"What fun would that be?" Hinata said in a man's voice. She squeaked and held her paws to her muzzle. A sinister laugh echoed throughout the illusion.

"Please," the princess pleaded, "We need your help and there isn't much time left."

A tea table and three chairs suddenly appeared from nowhere. One of the chairs was occupied by a pale man with a ponytail. Hinata blinked at the sight of him; he was shirtless. As the man beckoned for them to sit, Naruto grumbled something along the lines of, 'Are all mages shirtless?'

They sat in silence for the next minute. Naruto looked at Itachi (not in the eye, of course), Itachi looked at Hinata, and Hinata looked at her paws.

Itachi reached for Hinata. "Such a pretty thing, don't you think, princey?"

As soon as the raven touched her, she turned human. The girl pulled away, startled, and morphed back into a fox again. Naruto stared wide-eyed at his girlfriend.

"So I suppose you want to be human again," Itachi drawled, "I think you look good this way, but my opinion never matters. Ah well, what've you got to offer me?"

Naruto pulled out the items: an orb, meteorite, and C-4 clay chunk. The mage gave an appraising look to the items before snapping his fingers; they disappeared.

He smiled. "I quite like what you've given me. Very useful."

He waved an arm in mid-air and a hole opened in one of the clouds. The sun was almost set, a red glow across every tree.

Hinata gasped. 'Is it too late?' she thought in horror, wringing her hands. Itachi coughed and she looked back at him, surprised to see him offering a hand to her.

"I believe this belongs to you," he said, a familiar hair clip in his hand. She took it, still scared of it, and put it in her hair.

Naruto cocked his head. "What was that supposed to do?"

"This," he answered, "Riri-su!"

There was a flash and the two fox people collapsed, unconscious.

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Long chap and a cliffy :D Well, the next chapter's it. The end of the line for Fox Prince. I'm so happy :) Now I can go an finish that other fanfiction….Go read, please? I swear, it'll be worth your time ;~; And the riri-su thing; that was supposed to mean release, but I dunno…And can anyone guess who the chef was? ^^ Well, I hope you enjoyed this :D

Feel free to criticize, but don't flame. Flamers shall be doused with water.

Review! I love your reviews~

And remember…Wrawr.

-Michi-tan


	27. Epilogue: The end

So, this is it. The end of the road, the big KABOOM. I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews :D (Although I didn't get 200…-emo cloud-) Hugs and…cookies to everyone! Thanks so much for not flaming :D By the way, who's read Absolute Boyfriend? I cried at the end ;~;

Disclaimer: I think it's apparent I don't own…Though, I do own my very own Tobi plushie :D (Needs to have his mask and hair glued back on….)

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Hinata watched her children wrestle with their father through the kitchen window. She was making her own recipe of ramen, her husbands favorite. She raised a spoon to her lips, tasting the broth before declaring it finished.

"Dinner's ready," she shouted, spooning everything into four bowls. Shouts of delight were heard from outside before a tall man came in with two boys tucked under his arms. He set them down and they all grabbed a bowl, sitting at the table. The children ate furiously, like they hadn't eaten in forever. The parents smiled fondly at their family.

It had been eight years since Naruto and Hinata had been magically transformed into fox. After Itachi had turned them back to humans, the now married couple confronted Hinata's father. To say the least, Hiashi could have been worse. In the end, he allowed the marriage.

Two weeks after that, they had gotten married; and then Hinata found out she was pregnant. When her baby boy was born, Naruto and Hinata both gave up being heirs to the throne. Nobody they knew saw them after that.

The family finished dinner and, it being late, they went to put their children to bed. As Naruto tucked his youngest in, his sons asked him a question.

"Will you tell us a story?" Seiji asked, looking hopefully at his father.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I don't really know how to tell stories…"

"How about this one." Hinata cleared her throat, settling herself on her rocking chair.

"Once upon a time, there was a princess…"

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"Are you sure you have everything, Sora?" Hinata asked, fussing over her grown child. He gently pushed her hands away from where they were fixing his dusky hair.

"Mother, I'm fine," he said, smiling at his mother. Today was the day he would make his way in the world; his eighteenth birthday. In two years, his brother would leave home, too.

Naruto stepped up to his son. "Good luck, son. Make us proud."

"I will, dad," his son laughed. Everyone hugged and Sora went on his way. As Hinata waved at his retreating figure, she realized how old she was and sighed.

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Naruto and Hinata sat on the porch of their cabin, watching the sun set. The blond kissed his wife tenderly and laced his fingers with hers.

"The boys should be arriving any day now," he said, setting his head on the woman's.

She sighed. "I don't think we'll last that long."

"I guess you're right."

"Are you scared?"

"Not a bit."

"That's good," she breathed, closing her eyes, "Neither am I."

They were both ready when death came knocking a day later. They were buried right next to eachother by their sons with a lily on their graves. The two were never happier.

THE END

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Thanks so much for reading this. I'd like to specially thank my reviewers:

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